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The next time you book a flight with points, double-check fare you’re booking: t might be basic economy.
A growing number of U.S. airlines now offer basic award fares. That means — even if you’re using miles — you could face restrictions like no seat selection, no lounge access and no upgrades.
For years, Delta Air Lines was the only carrier in America with “basic” mileage redemptions.
Then last year, both JetBlue and Southwest Airlines started offering up no-frills award tickets.
What this means for travelers: increasingly, when you go to search for a mileage deal, the cheapest award price you’ll see is often a restrictive basic ticket.
And with nearly every major airline shaking up their basic economy policies in recent months, I wouldn’t be surprised if more airlines follow suit.
This affects the number of points in your account, the loyalty perks you’ll get when you fly, and your ability to make changes to your itinerary after booking.
Which US airlines sell basic economy award tickets?
Three of the six largest U.S. airlines now offer a basic economy product even to customers booking with points and miles:
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Delta’s basic SkyMiles awards date back to the late 2010s. JetBlue started offering basic TrueBlue bookings last year. And last year when Southwest replaced “Wanna Get Away” with basic economy, it immediately opened up those fares for Rapid Rewards redemptions.
Read more: Basic economy and the ‘evolution’ that’s sweeping over airlines’ cheapest fares
What’s the big deal?
When you search for award bookings on those three U.S. carriers, the first (and best) price you see may not be the price you’ll actually wind up paying — unless you’re willing to settle for restrictions.
Here’s an example: a December JetBlue flight from Boston to Orlando. Initially, main cabin awards display as 16,100 TrueBlue points.
But once you click into the fare, you’ll see that 16,100 points is actually a basic ticket (JetBlue calls it “Main Base”).
To get a true standard economy booking, you’ll need over 19,000 points — 22% more.
Here’s an example on Delta: a flight from Atlanta to Seattle. Initially, the SkyMiles price is 28,100 miles.
But, again, that’s basic. For a regular coach ticket, you’ll need over 35,000 miles — a 27% jump.
Why not just book basic, then?
Booking basic award tickets can certainly save you some miles (sometimes a lot of miles).
But just like with paid fares, you’ll deal with some onerous restrictions.
On both Delta and JetBlue, basic economy passengers can’t enter airport lounges — even members that typically get access via a credit card.
On all three airlines, there are seat selection restrictions; if you don’t have any status or carry a credit card, you could be assigned a seat at check-in. And that might mean a middle seat.
Plus, Delta’s basic passengers don’t earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) toward status.
The flexibility of award travel disappears
Basic award fares also come without the flexibility typically enjoyed by flyers who book with points.
Typically, mileage bookings are really flexible: If you book and later need to cancel, you’ll get the miles redeposited into your account and all taxes and fees are refunded.
But that’s not always the case with basic award tickets.
- Delta charges members a 9,900-mile “fee” to cancel domestic SkyMiles awards. For international, the penalty is 19,900 miles. If your ticket was less than that, you’ll get nothing back if you have to cancel.
- JetBlue charges its members a $150 change or cancellation fee on basic TrueBlue bookings.
Southwest’s policy is more generous: as long as you cancel your ticket at least 10 minutes before departure, you’ll get your Rapid Rewards points back.
What about basic business?
A growing number of U.S. carriers now offer basic versions of their business-class, domestic first-class and premium economy fares.
As of today, those skinnier premium tickets are only available to customers booking with cash — not points.
But I imagine it’s only a matter of time before we see “basic business” award tickets.
Related: Delta launches ‘basic’ business, premium, first-class tickets: What to know before booking
The other airlines
American Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines do not offer basic economy mileage redemptions.
On budget airlines like Frontier, the cheapest award deals typically will be basic-ish unbundled fares.
Bottom line
Just like with paid fares, basic economy award tickets can be a great way to save if you truly don’t care about getting into a lounge, picking your seat or getting upgraded.
Airlines have long argued basic offerings give customers more choice.
But that choice comes with major trade-offs.
And increasing, those are trade-offs that even customers booking with points and miles have to weigh.
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